My almost 4 year old's hair..

[Mommyof4]

My little girl will be 4 in February. Her hair is currently APL. She has had trims every 4 months since she was 1 (just because I thought she needed it for "healthy" hair.. I obviously know different now).. but she hasn't had one since November (we had to even up from her "cutting" her own hair with nail clippers that my DH left sitting out :/ ), and she said that she wants her hair to be long like Rapunzel...

I in NO way influence her style choices (other than being her mom and her seeing what I do and the things that I like).. it's her clothes/hair/life, so I don't say things like, you should wear this, look like this, have hair like this.. So this isn't a case of, ''I'm going to live vicariously through my daughter and grow her hair long because I want mine long too''...

BUT.. she was sitting beside me while I was on LHC one night, and I was looking at a friend's album and she yelled with glee: It's Rapunzel, Mommy!! No, mommy, really, it's her! I want hair like THAT!!

I told her 'of course', that we will be very careful with her hair (as always) and she can grow it as long as she wants to.. she's excited and we oil our hair together now (which is so cute because she "recommends" which oil and tells me "why" we should use 'said' oil hehe)

My question is this:

Since she is so young, is there a shorter terminal length for children than adults? Is there a reason why her hair may not grow very much longer?

She says she wants it long "like a dress" lol.. so I'm guessing that's around knee length.. I've never seen a child in real life under 11-12 with hair this long (that i can remember), I'm sure it's probably because most kids have regular trims..

I'm sure there is a member on LHC that knows about child hair growth and if it is just like for adults, or maybe not?

*Please don't comment with things like 'wow, you're not very smart, of course it can grow long, duh'... I'm aware my question may seem "dense" for others, but I am actually wanting to know...

Her hair grows one inch EVERY month and is VERY fine, but super thick. She doesn't have split ends and she loses minimal hair daily.. when I brush it, no hair is in the brush, but when we wash it, there are maybe 5-10 hairs when we rinse... hope that helps..

It's not a big deal, I'm just curious.. either way, she's the most awesome little girl I've ever known and will ever know and this is just a "for fun/good to know" question..

I just want to keep this thread light-hearted, and not turn into a discussion about my mothering skills..

:)

[Quixii]

There are definitely little girls (and boys, I'm sure) with hair that long. I think sometimes it's hard because kids encounter a lot of damage and can't take care of their own hair yet so things happen, but I've seen kids with really long hair.

[maborosi]

I've actually seen a girl who was probably about 5 or 6 with hair past classic.

I wonder if it's because they're growing quickly, you're not as likely to see a kid with super long hair because they're growing at the same time?

Or something? Maybe my theory is wrong.

~maborosi~

[FrozenBritannia]

My friends daughter has classic length hair, or just past classic (its hard to tell with kids, they have no bums, it is past her bum though. ) and it is gorgeous. She is six turning seven, and has had her hair cut once to her shoulders, if they had not cut it, I am sure it would be down to her knees by now.

I think the only thing that might happen, is that if they go through a growth spurt, their hair will "shrink" because the marker will have moved.

[Kelikea]

It sounds like she has good potential to grow. There is a girl at my school who is five and her hair is hip length and probably 3a and M/C. She has some of the thickest hair I've ever seen, it is even hard for me to braid! It is very blunt cut, so she probably has trims often. As a comparison, there are kids who have what still looks like what I consider "baby" hair. You know, very fine and limp and barely covers their head? I had hair like that. I was not able to grow long hair until high school. What I guess I'm trying to say is that, just like adults, children all have very different hair and terminal lengths. If it is already thick and growing an inch a month, she can probably grow it out fairly well. No one will know what her terminal length is until she reaches it. But, she is only 4, and by the time it might reach what would be terminal at 4, she will already be older and taller, and it will not look quite as long. Does that make any sense? Hmm..I guess I don't really think of young children as having "terminal" because they are growing so fast, their hair probably grows along with them. Just make sure she gets proper nutrition and watch out for growth spurts. My sister had one at 13 that made her hair fall out because she grew so fast and did not get enough nutrients. Ok, now Ithink I'm rambling. Sorry. Happy Growing! :)

[Mommyof4]

I thought pictures might help lol..

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?pictureid=124157&albumid=9523&dl=1326849339&thumb=1

This^^ Is her hair at 22 months old


http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?pictureid=124156&albumid=9523&dl=1326849339&thumb=1
This^^ is her hair in July 2011 with layers..

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?pictureid=124155&albumid=9523&dl=1326849339&thumb=1

This ^^ is her hair in November 2011.. the layers pretty much trimmed out..

[allycat]

Hmmm, why can't I see your pics?

I'm sure it will grow. My 3 year old has hair to her waist that has never been cut. Today she let me bun it with my new hair fork.

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg254/allycat08_pix/Stuff/hairfork.jpg

I see another girl at her school, about 7 or 8, that has a tailbone length braid. I am fine with my daughter growing it that long, but I do worry a bit about safety issues with very long hair - playground equipment, etc. I guess I will just braid it into buns or something when it gets longer to keep it closer to her head at school.

Have fun with the growing out process!

[MandyBeth]

J is 6 and has mid thigh length hair wet, waist to hip dry. She's got alot of curls. BIG thing for school, her hair is contained. Otherwise, the risk of her getting it caught. Also, playing or chores, hair is back. Good habit to get going.

[allycat]

MandyBeth, what styles do you find work well for school containment (I like that!)?

[MandyBeth]

Braided figure8 with a Flexi is J's first choice most days. She's good about leaving it in, plus the braid at least keeps it from exploding as her curls like to. Braided cinnabun with claw clips is another favorite.

[ladonna]

My seven year old has had waist length hair since she was about 4. I only trim her and her sisters hair once a year in the summer, I'm guessing if I never hacked off 4-5 inches for the past few years she would be at classic or longer. This was before lhc so now I'm letting them grow their however they like. My 7 year old also wanted to cut her tbl hair to just past apl this last summer so I let her knowing she would let her hair grow and so she could get it out her system since she wanted "short" hair so bad.

[allycat]

Thanks, MandyBeth.

ladonna, yes, they seem to like to cut it when they're around 7, 8 don't they. That's when my older daughter went from hip to shoulder length. Like you, I think it's good to let them.

[allycat]

(Sorry, double post.)

[Amiblue]

My young 3 year old has just passed waist length hair when wet. When dry it is big beautiful thick blond banana curls that dust the shoulders. Never been cut.

From your pictures, I don't see why it won't grow. And as someone else said, she is growing. So while she might be at waist, in a month it might be bsl or shorter only because she shot up in height. That is one of the awesome parts of growing!

[MandyBeth]

Oh, Eresh's fancy bun is also a favorite if we have time in the morning. Then there are days when an inverse English braid is it. That's our only hair rule - she wants long hair, it's braided for school, chores and in the kitchen.

[Mommyof4]

Thanks for the replies :)

*BTW: her hair is braided almost always if she is playing, helping with chores, even alot of times when we go somewhere. She HATES to have her hair detangled, just because I try to be careful with it, so it could be a good 20 minutes before they're all out and she gets impatient, so she learned quickly that braided means way less detangling lol..

*We homeschool, so when she plays at the park and goes to gymnastics and stuff, I'll be there and her hair will be braided or up :)

[honeydippedxo]

I don't think age matters much when it comes to terminal length. I mean I had my hair to my butt when I was 2 and I knew a lot of little girls who had long hair when I was a child.

[arc691]

I've had long hair all my life - even when I was little it was long. My mom would trim it every now and then to keep it even. (I still do the same thing - I like for my hair to look even across the bottom.) As far as fixing it when I was little, most of the time I wore a hairband. Sometimes my mom would French braid it, and then when I got to be about 12, I started putting it in a ponytail or experimenting with braiding it myself.

Wow, your little girl sounds like she has the perfect hair! It grows so fast and so thick! :)


http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x472/andrearcolson/For%20Pinterest/rapunzel-long-hair25_48861208.jpg

[Mommyof4]

I've had long hair all my life - even when I was little it was long. My mom would trim it every now and then to keep it even. (I still do the same thing - I like for my hair to look even across the bottom.) As far as fixing it when I was little, most of the time I wore a hairband. Sometimes my mom would French braid it, and then when I got to be about 12, I started putting it in a ponytail or experimenting with braiding it myself.

Wow, your little girl sounds like she has the perfect hair! It grows so fast and so thick! :)


http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x472/andrearcolson/For%20Pinterest/rapunzel-long-hair25_48861208.jpg


Her hair is very pretty, but I might be partial... being her mom and all ;)

She LOVES your hair! YOU are the rapunzel btw :D

[sfgirl]

I honestly think if se wants her hair that long she should get used to wearing it up for the most part. I had tailbone length hair when I was under ten, partly due to that my mom braided and bunned my hair while it was still damp every day. I didn't have any splits, and this was with extremely fine, very thin hair. :) My mom used to put flowers and fun stuff like that in, and my hair never got in the way, so that's why I went along with it.

[Mesmerise]

I remember years ago when I went to church there were a couple of little girls with knee length hair. Their mum had really long hair too, but not as long (probably mid thigh, I'm guessing it was her terminal). At the time I speculated that the terminal on the girls appeared longer because they were proportionally shorter, but that their hair could grow as long as their mother's but it would appear longer on them.

So no, I don't think kids have a shorter terminal - if anything, their hair will appear longer against body markers because they have a shorter body!

Incidentally it was seeing this woman and her daughters that sort of taught me "terminal" length (not that I had a name for it) and I always figured that adults generally couldn't grow their hair super, super long (of course, now I know there are some individuals who can!).

Also when my daughter was 4 her hair was about waist, but her taper was virtually non-existent. I'm pretty sure she could have grown it much longer!

[auburntressed]

My hair was TB length by the time I was 4;ish (maybe a little before? It's hard to recall exactly), and I am certain it would have gotten a lot longer if my mom hadn't been religious about regular trimming. She taught me from a young age that you have to keep your hair trimmed, or it won't grow. I thought that was silly, but she definitely believed in it.

I had it cut to shoulder length when I was 8, and again when I was 10. Both times, my hair grew back completely in about a year's time. It definitely grew a lot faster than it grows now. I think there are many children in general whose hair grows faster because they are still kids, and that ought to make it even easier to grow it out.

I think children also tend to get fewer split ends and have more resilient hair once they get past the "baby hair" stage. That might just be because they are less likely to be using heat and chemicals on their hair, though.

My hair was always kept in braids as a child until the first time I had it cut short. I would suggest definitely keep a child's hair secured for school! When I was in high school, I dealt with my hair being set on fire, endless teasing, and several attempts by other students to snip my hair off with scissors when they thought I wasn't looking! And that was HIGH SCHOOL. I shudder to think what could happen to a long haired girl in elementary school, where kids can be even more impulsive.

[Cupofmilk]

My daughter is six months younger than yours, rarely has a trim and her hair is stuck at BSL+ with a thick hemline. It won't grow anymore. I don't know why but there it is.

[Mommyof4]

My daughter is six months younger than yours, rarely has a trim and her hair is stuck at BSL+ with a thick hemline. It won't grow anymore. I don't know why but there it is.

Does she take any vitamins? We switched vitamins a few months back for the kiddos, and my daughter had a slight shed.. it turns out, it didn't have biotin.. Probiotics added.. but no biotin?

We switched back :)

[LadyKate]

My fiance's niece is almost 5, and until she had her first haircut about 4 months ago (I cried, literally), her hair was to her knees when wet. Now it's a little past her shoulders, and it looks very cute, but it was SOOOO gorgeous before she had it cut. I don't see any reason why her hair shouldn't continue to grow as long as you take good care of it together!

[Mommyof4]

My fiance's niece is almost 5, and until she had her first haircut about 4 months ago (I cried, literally), her hair was to her knees when wet. Now it's a little past her shoulders, and it looks very cute, but it was SOOOO gorgeous before she had it cut. I don't see any reason why her hair shouldn't continue to grow as long as you take good care of it together!

Oh how awesome! Why did they cut it?? That seems like alot of work to put in just to chop it :/

[Red_Wednesday]

I haven't read through the whole thread so perhaps this has already been mentioned, but have you considered getting her a sleep bonnet for her hair at night?

My 3 yr ol has very fine hair and the rubbing from her tossing and turning while shes sleeping really causes damage to her ends - even with it braided, which I do every night. Of course, getting my kids to sleep with a bonnet on never worked, but your daughter might be ok with it. What we ended up doing is going to tj maxx, and I let both my girls pick out large satiny scarves that we " decorated" their pillows with. I could have easily bought satin pillow cases, but we were watching our pennies at the time. Turns out they really enjoy the scarves anyway because they got to pick them out themselves. After a while of them sleeping on these scarves I noticed a very nice improvement in my youngest hair. My 6 olds hair is medium in texture, very strong and I rarely ever notice any damage to her hair, so the pillow case was just an added plus for her. Anyway, just a thought.

[Mommyof4]

I haven't read through the whole thread so perhaps this has already been mentioned, but have you considered getting her a sleep bonnet for her hair at night?

My 3 yr ol has very fine hair and the rubbing from her tossing and turning while shes sleeping really causes damage to her ends - even with it braided, which I do every night. Of course, getting my kids to sleep with a bonnet on never worked, but your daughter might be ok with it. What we ended up doing is going to tj maxx, and I let both my girls pick out large satiny scarves that we " decorated" their pillows with. I could have easily bought satin pillow cases, but we were watching our pennies at the time. Turns out they really enjoy the scarves anyway because they got to pick them out themselves. After a while of them sleeping on these scarves I noticed a very nice improvement in my youngest hair. My 6 olds hair is medium in texture, very strong and I rarely ever notice any damage to her hair, so the pillow case was just an added plus for her. Anyway, just a thought.

She has a tinkerbell satin pillow that she has slept on since she was a year old :D She will probably never part with it lol.. Even with her ends oiled, and hair braided and sleeping on the pillowcase, she has tangles in the morning.. so I'm thinking maybe a sleep bonnet is EXACTLY what she needs :D Thanks for mentioning this!

*I'll probably have to sew a Hello Kitty patch onto it and then she'll just HAVE to have it ;)

[MonaLisa]

Such cute thread! Gool luck to your little one! I'm sure you both can do it! :)

[Red_Wednesday]

She has a tinkerbell satin pillow that she has slept on since she was a year old :D She will probably never part with it lol.. Even with her ends oiled, and hair braided and sleeping on the pillowcase, she has tangles in the morning.. so I'm thinking maybe a sleep bonnet is EXACTLY what she needs :D Thanks for mentioning this!

*I'll probably have to sew a Hello Kitty patch onto it and then she'll just HAVE to have it ;)

@bolded: That sounds super cute!! If you decide to do it come back and let us know how it went. Perhaps I might be able to convince mine to wear one if it got a an adorable hello kitty on it:D.

[BlondieHepburn]

I have 4 younger sisters and we've all had super long hair since childhood. Not for religious purposes, or any reason other than we simply never cut it. We never took special care of it (tender combing or oiling, etc.), it was all from childlike benign neglect.

I had TB+ hair until I was 18, and all of my sisters still have hair as long as that. I think children have an advantage over us since they are still such healthy little rosebuds.

I bet your daughter's hair will be absolutely lovely!